Polyphenolic compounds are a broad class of bioactive substances derived from certain plant materials. Plant polyphenols have been associated with a variety of health benefits. Certain polyphenolic compounds including procyanidins occur naturally in cocoa. If processed properly, cocoa products including extracts, cocoa solids, and cocoa liquor can retain many of the original flavanols and procyanidins found in cocoa. When ingested, these cocoa polyphenols can provide significant health benefits to humans. For example, cocoa polyphenols have been shown to have beneficial effects on the flow mediated dilation of blood arteries and enhancing nitric oxide/nitric oxide synthase (NO/NOS) activity; such cardiovascular health effects are reported, for example, in WO 97/36497 published Oct. 9, 1997. Thus, the ingestion of cocoa products having a high cocoa polyphenol content may provide significant health benefits. Therefore, there is a need in the art for compositions providing cocoa polyphenols.